


A pod

by Galrafloofandlove



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Abuse, Angst with a Happy Ending, Child Abuse, Childhood Friends, Forced Starvation, Graphic Description, Happy Ending, M/M, Starvation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-19
Updated: 2019-02-19
Packaged: 2019-10-31 10:57:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17848166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Galrafloofandlove/pseuds/Galrafloofandlove
Summary: Keith's young when it first happens, a year after he loses one of his fathers.He doesn't understand why.But at least he has his best friend.Until he loses that too.!!! FULL DISCLAIMER: THIS IS A VENT FIC AND CONTAINS GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS OF CHILD ABUSE !!!





	A pod

**Author's Note:**

> Please, please read all the tags and warnings. This is a vent fic, it's how I cope. My abuse wasn't by a parent, although it was from somebody I should have been able to trust. 
> 
> Once again, read tags and do not proceed if this could possibly trigger you in any way.

He was five the first time his father hit him.

Keith was young- too young to understand the lesson his father- Sendak, he deserved to be called by his first name and no endearing titles- was trying to teach him. 

In hindsight, he was trying to teach Keith to say 'please’ and 'thank you'- something that did definitely not register at the time when the belt whipped in the air and hit Keith's shoulder with such a loud smack it could rattle their one-story house like a strike of lightning. 

Keith screamed as Sendak continued, tears soaking his cheeks as the rough leather broke his skin, leaving angry red welts in its wake. 

“What do say, son?” Sendak asked. 

Keith winced at the use of the word ‘son’.

He wasn't Sendak's son. He was adopted young, back when Sendak still had a husband and he wasn't as cold and uncaring as he was now.  
He was the son of Sendak's husband, his true papa. The one that used to care for him and tuck him into bed and read him bedtime stories until he drifted off. 

He didn't know why he passed, but Sendak said it was some sort of medical issue he'd been fighting for a while. 

And Sendak turned cold, the the winter chill invading the house after your open the door for a second in negative degrees. 

“P-please?” Keith choked out, voice strained as he sobbed. 

Sendak hit the belt again his back again. 

“Wrong. Try again.” Sendak ordered, belt ghosting over his back, sending goosebumps down Keith's bruising flesh. 

“T-thank you?” Keith spit out as tears fell to the hardwood. 

Sendak gave a little smile.

Keith felt like he was gonna throw up. 

“Good boy.” Sendak said, bringing the belt back up and hitting him harder than before. 

Keith tried to scream, tried to yell out in pure agony, but instead he was left to choke on his own spit. 

“What do you say?” Sendak cooed, rubbing a particularly large wound with nails that felt like a lion's claws. 

“Ah...thank you…” 

“Good boy.” 

~~~~~~~~

Second grade. 

Last day before spring break, last day of getting away from Sendak for seven hours then being yelled at and hit for the week to come. 

To say Keith was dreading it was an understatement. 

“Keith!” The familiar exclamation of his name rang through his ears, watching a boy only a few months older than him run up to Keith's desk, his batman backpack rattling with each jogging step. 

“Shiro!” Keith lit up like a Christmas tree. 

His only joy in life, his only friend, the only thing that made life worth living. 

Shiro sat down next to him, their names labeled clearly on the desks in their pod- only two of them. Their teacher said that dolphins come in all different kinds of pods- pods of four, pods of two, pods of males and pods of females. Pods of nearly twins, pods of polar opposite. 

Pods of best friends.

Shiro fiddled with his hands as their teacher laid out handwriting sheets. 

“Hey, what's wrong?” Keith asked, holding his hand out and reaching for Shiro's own. 

Keith's long sleeve tee felt slightly off his shoulder in the process, revealing fresh cuts from last night and fading bruises from the week before. 

Keith quickly realized his mistake and pulled the fabric back so it completely covered all the affected areas. 

But Shiro saw. 

“Keith?” He asked with an outward smile, like he was trying to convince himself everything was going to be alright. 

“Don't worry about it Shiro. Just fell down some stairs.” Keith used the excuse Sendak taught him on his first day of Kindergarten. 

Shiro looked beyond puzzled. 

“Don't you live in a one story house?” Shiro questioned. 

Keith racked his mind, trying to come up with anything else so that he wouldn't give Sendak away. He was afraid of the pain he'd experience if somebody found out.

“Stairs in school.” Keith dismissed, grabbing a red colored pencil from the tin Mrs. Altea set out in front of them.  
“Should I take you to the nurse?” Shiro asked. 

Keith started to panic, before…

“Boys... please quietly work on your handwriting sheets. Dolphin pods can be social, but they also know when it's time to do work.” Mrs. Altea's voice was stern but soft. 

“Yes, Mrs. Altea.” The boys repeated in uncanny unison. 

~~~~~~

“My family is moving.” Shiro dropped the bomb at lunch. 

Keith nearly spit out a piece of Shiro's peanut butter and jelly sandwich. They switched- all Keith got was a boring salad, Sendak said it was to make sure he stayed in perfect shape- and Shiro had a homemade lunch made with love by his mother.  
Shiro was content trading a salad for a sandwich, since Shiro knew Keith didn't eat at home, but didn't think much of it.  
He was seven. How was he supposed to know?

“I got you something.” Shiro reached out into his backpack, pulling out a stuffed dolphin, along with a handmade bracelet with black beads reading “Shiro”.  
Shiro pulled out the exact same plush, and a bracelet with red beads that read “Keith”. 

“It's a parting gift. We both have each other's bracelet and we have one of two members of our pod each!” Shiro exclaimed happily, obviously very proud of his accomplishment. 

 

Keith smiled as he held the dolphin close, feeling the black beads push into his skin. 

First day of Junior year. 

And finally an excuse to get away from his father for more than thirty minutes. 

~~~~~~~

He slammed his locker shut without a second thought, turning on his heels in black platform boots, friendship bracelet from nearly ten years ago hidden under the sleeves of his sweatshirt. 

It was incredibly hot, and he felt beads of sweat start to pour, panic setting in when he realized he used concealer to cover up his black eye from a few days ago. 

He has some extra in his bag if he can escape to the bathroom before the first bell- 

“Hey! Keith!” 

He didn't like to be catcalled, it usually meant a bullying session was in store. 

But he recognized that voice from the deepest recess of his mind, the memories he'd filed away to remember when Sendak told him to lay flat on the couch. 

Shiro. 

He turned his head-

And low and behold, there he stood, glistening in the light like an angel. 

Emotions bubbled to the surface as Keith actually smiled in the first time in what felt like forever. 

Shiro's sneakers squeaked against the tile as he ran over to tighten Keith up into a big bear hug. 

“I missed you, buddy.” Shiro said. His voice was deeper, much deeper, but it was still Shiro's voice. It gave him confort.  
“I missed you so much.” Keith felt like he was in a dream. 

Shiro pulled out of the hug, and rolled up his sleeve, revealing bright red beads, some with their paint chipped and little crooks and dips in the cheap plastic. 

Keith smiled and rolled up his sweatshirt just enough to not show any injuries, but to show the bracelet around his wrist. 

 

They shared a smile as the first bell rang. 

“Shit. Catch up later, at lunch?” Shiro asked, and Keith nodded and waved, watching Shiro take off to the chem lab. 

His best friend was back. 

And his heart wanted him to be more than a best friend. 

~~~~~~~

Lunch was the best It had been since that faithful day in second grade. 

Shiro traded a couple peanut butter sandwiches for Keith's salad, now containing excessive amounts of tomatoes. 

“Did you have breakfast this morning?” Shiro asked as he peeled an orange from his own lunch, watching Keith eagerly eat the pieces Shiro shared with him. 

“Sometimes I just get it at school.” Keith completely jumped the question all together. 

“But did you eat today?” 

Keith swallowed.  
“Nope.”

Keith swore he watched Shiro's heart shatter in two. 

“You promise me you're gonna eat breakfast tomorrow? And dinner tonight? No salads either. You don't look healthy.” Shiro's eyes raked down Keith's slim hips, the tight jeans struggling to stay up. 

“Alright, yeah.” Keith promised back, interlocking pinkies to secure the deal. 

Shiro smiled. 

~~~~~~~

He couldn't walk. 

He asked for breakfast, asked for dinner, but Sendak dismissed him. 

Instead, he was met with a harsh whip to his knees, before hitting him in the usual spots on the back. 

The knee one was to make Keith suffer more, to remember his place. 

He takes what Sendak will give him. 

He somehow climbed out of bed and got dressed, tumbling to the bus and into school. 

 

He limped along the wall of lockers, looking for bright white hair in a sea of people. 

Shiro found him first. 

“Everything okay, Keith?” Shiro snuck up behind him. 

Keith nearly jumped out of his skin. 

“Yeah, yeah, I'm good! I'm great! wonderful, even.” Keith lied. 

“Are you sure you don't need to see the nurse?” Shiro asked. 

Keith's eyes went wide. 

“Yep! I'm sure! One hundred percent sure I don't need a nurse looking me over...I'm feeling-” Keith winced. “-wonderful.” He finished his sentence off with a strain to his voice. 

Shiro wasn't buying it. 

“Mr. Iverson!” He called into the room to their left. “Can you help me out here?” 

The tall teacher appeared seconds later, towering over Keith and scanning him with only that one eye. 

“Keith seems to have a problem with his leg. Can you help me take him to the nurse?” Shiro asked sweetly. 

Keith started sweating.

He wanted to break into tears as Iverson lead him down to the nurses office. 

One look over by the nurse and seeing the bruises and scars littering Keith's skin, Keith spilled the truth with Shiro encouraging him, squeezing Keith's hand tight as he sobbed freely. 

He felt numb when an ambulance and the police were called. 

He felt numb as he was loaded into the ambulance and drifted off. 

~~~~~~~

“Hey, sleepyhead.” 

He heard Shiro tease as he opened his eyes to the harsh light overhead. 

He was in a hospital bed, in a hospital gown, and Shiro was sitting right next to him. 

And it was morning. 

“You're gonna be okay. Your knee is in cast and they're giving you the extra fluids you need.” Shiro reassured. “I'm just sorry I didn't realize back when I could have stopped this all-” 

“We were seven.” Keith choked out, feeling how dry and sore his throat felt as Shiro handed him a plastic cup full of cold water. 

Keith downed it in one go. 

“There's paperwork, but my mom knows a nice family down the street from my new house that can take you in.” Shiro informed with a smile. 

Keith's mind clicked into placed. 

“So Senda- my father,” he corrected. “he's gone?” 

“Yeah. They locked him up last night.” Shiro responded, looking down at a bag at the legs of the chair he was sitting in, pulling out two identical gray balls of fuzz- one dirtier than the other, some parts caked in mud, while the other just has his fur matted down, the reason being it had been stuck together with dried tears. 

Keith gave a quiet laugh, using as much as the strength he had stored up, which happened to not be much. 

“You kept yours?” He asked softly.  
“Of course I did.” Shiro acted like it was a personal insult to assume he hadn't. 

 

Mrs. Altea was right. 

 

Dolphin pods come in all different shapes and variations. 

But the pod is always there for another member of the pod when they need it. 

 

Keith remembered that much later in his life, on his wedding day, the reception decorated in cheesy cartoon dolphin balloons as he and Shiro were announced husbands.

**Author's Note:**

> [Tumblr](https://galrafloofandlove.tumblr.com) || [Twitter](https://twitter.com/GalraFloof)


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